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Vmware Data Recovery: Administrator'S Guide
Vmware Data Recovery: Administrator'S Guide
Administrator's Guide
EN-000193-00
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Contents
Index 23
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The VMware Data Recovery Administrator's Guide contains information about establishing backup solutions for
small and medium businesses.
Intended Audience
This book is for anyone who wants to provide backup solutions using VMware Data Recovery. The information
in this book is for experienced Windows or Linux system administrators who are familiar with virtual machine
technology and datacenter operations.
Document Feedback
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feedback to docfeedback@vmware.com.
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Support Offerings
To find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs,
go to http://www.vmware.com/support/services.
VMware Professional
Services
VMware Education Services courses offer extensive hands-on labs, case study
examples, and course materials designed to be used as on-the-job reference
tools. Courses are available onsite, in the classroom, and live online. For onsite
pilot programs and implementation best practices, VMware Consulting
Services provides offerings to help you assess, plan, build, and manage your
virtual environment. To access information about education classes,
certification programs, and consulting services, go to
http://www.vmware.com/services.
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VMware Data Recovery creates backups of virtual machines without interrupting their use or the data and
services they provide. Data Recovery manages existing backups, removing backups as they become older. It
also supports deduplication to remove redundant data.
Data Recovery is built on the VMware vStorage API for Data Protection. It is integrated with VMware vCenter
Server, allowing you to centralize the scheduling of backup jobs. Integration with vCenter Server also enables
virtual machines to be backed up, even when they are moved using VMware VMotion or VMware
Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS).
Data Recovery uses a virtual machine appliance and a client plug-in to manage and restore backups. The
backup appliance is provided in open virtualization format (OVF). The Data Recovery plug-in requires the
VMware vSphere Client.
Backups can be stored on any virtual disk supported by VMware ESX. You can use storage area networks
(SANs), network attached storage (NAS) devices, or Common Internet File System (CIFS) based storage such
as SAMBA. All backed-up virtual machines are stored in a deduplicated store.
VMware Data Recovery supports the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), which provides the backup
infrastructure for certain Windows operating systems.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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For virtual machines created in vSphere 4.0, the Data Recovery appliance creates a quiesced snapshot of the
virtual machine during the backup. The backups use the changed block tracking functionality on the ESX hosts.
For each virtual disk being backed up, it checks for a prior backup of the virtual disk. It uses the change-tracking
functionality on ESX hosts to obtain the changes since the last backup. The deduplicated store creates a virtual
full backup based on the last backup image and applies the changes to it.
NOTE These optimizations do not apply to virtual machines created with VMware products prior to vSphere
4.0. For example, change tokens are not used with virtual machines created with Virtual Infrastructure 3.5 or
earlier. As a result, virtual machines created with earlier VMware versions take longer to back up.
If duplicate parts of a virtual machine are found, a record of the information is stored rather than storing the
information twice. Deduplication can provide significant space savings. Operating system files are often
identical among virtual machines running the same operating system. To maximize deduplication, back up
similar virtual machines to the same destination. The virtual machines do not need to be backed up during the
same job.
Data Recovery uses the vSphere licensing infrastructure to ensure that all virtual machines that are protected
by Data Recovery have appropriate licensing. Valid vSphere licensing includes Essential Plus, Advanced,
Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus licenses.
Each Data recovery backup appliance can protect a total of 100 virtual machines. It is possible to create backup
jobs that are configured to protect more than 100 virtual machines, but the backup appliance only protects 100
virtual machines and any additional virtual machines are omitted. It is possible to protect more than 100 virtual
machines by installing additional backup appliances, but different backup appliances do not share information
about backup jobs. As a result, it is possible to establish unintended configurations. For example, two Data
Recovery backup appliances could be configured to protect a folder containing 200 virtual machines, but it is
likely that some of the virtual machines would be backed up twice and some would not be backed up at all.
For virtual machines with Windows operating systems that do not support VSS, VMware Tools uses the default
LGTO SYNC driver. For other guest operating systems, VMware Tools uses crash-consistent quiescing.
Several features in the Windows Server 2003 operating systems use the Volume Shadow Copy Service,
including Shadow Copies for Shared Folders and Backup. Shadow copies can be used for a number of purposes
such as:
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Creating transportable shadow copies using a hardware provider for backup, testing and data mining
scenarios
Because Data Recovery uses VSS, Data Recovery can create snapshots while ensuring application consistency.
This means that applications write to disk any important data that is currently in memory, making sure that
a later restore of that virtual machine can restore the application back into a consistent state.
For more information about which Windows virtual machines use the Volume Shadow Copy Service, see the
Virtual Machine Backup Guide. Detailed information about VSS can be found at
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc785914.aspx.
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VMware Data Recovery uses a plug-in to the VSphere Client and a backup appliance to store backups to
destinations such as hard disks.
Before you can begin using Data Recovery, you must complete the installation process, beginning with
ensuring that your environment includes resources that meet the Data Recovery system requirements.
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Select Plugins > Manage Plugins and make sure that the Data Recovery plug-in is enabled.
You can now use the client plug-in to manage Data Recovery. If the Data Recovery is not registered in the
vSphere Client, restart the client.
What to do next
You may now want to complete the task Install the Backup Appliance, on page 12.
From the vSphere Client, select File > Deploy OVF Template.
Select Deploy from file, and then browse to VmwareDataRecovery.ovf and select it.
Review the End User License Agreement. If you agree to the terms, accept them.
If you do not accept the terms, you cannot complete the process.
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What to do next
You can save backups on network storage or on hard disks. If you are going to store backups on a hard disk,
you may now want to complete the task Add a Hard Disk to the Backup Appliance, on page 13. Otherwise
you may now want to learn about Chapter 3, Configuring VMware Data Recovery, on page 15.
Start the vSphere Client and log in to the vCenter Server that manages the backup appliance.
In the inventory, right-click the backup appliance virtual machine and select Edit Settings.
Specify the disk size and other options and click Next.
Specify the advanced options for the virtual disk and click Next.
The disk is now added to the backup appliance and can be used as a destination for backups. If the backup
appliance is powered on when the hard disk is added, the hard disk is not recognized until the backup appliance
is rebooted. Therefore, if the backup appliance is powered on, reboot it to complete the addition of the hard
disk.
What to do next
You may now want to learn about Chapter 3, Configuring VMware Data Recovery, on page 15.
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To configure Data Recovery, you connect the backup appliance to vCenter Server and specify backup
configurations.
Common tasks involved with establishing backup configurations include:
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Establishing backup jobs, including required resources, which may include adding network shares or
formatting volumes.
In the inventory, right-click the virtual machine to use as the backup appliance and select Power On.
After the virtual machine is powered on, right-click the backup appliance virtual machine and choose
Open Console.
The console window for the backup appliance appears.
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If the root account password has not been changed from the default, use the passwd command to change
the password for the root account to a strong password of your choosing.
Click the System tab to gather information about the appliance or click Reboot or Shutdown, as required.
Click the Network tab and click Status for information about current network settings.
Click the Network tab and click Address to configure network settings. You can configure the backup
appliance to obtain its address from a DHCP or you can manually configure IP settings.
Click the Network tab and click Proxy to configure proxy settings. You can configure the backup appliance
to use a proxy server and provide the proxy server's name or IP address and port.
In the vSphere Client, select Home > Solutions and Applications > VMware Data Recovery.
In the Credentials page, enter a username and password and click Next.
Data Recovery uses this information to connect to vCenter to perform backups, so the specified user
account must have administrative rights.
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In the Backup Destinations page, select a backup destination from the list of choices.
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In the Backup Destinations page, select the tasks that you want to perform.
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To rescan the SCSI bus for new SCSI devices, click Refresh.
To format a virtual disk that has been added to the appliance, click Format. After formatting
completes, the disk appears as scsi:x:y. For disks that already contain data, use Mount rather than
format.
To mount the CIFS share, click Add Network Share and provide credentials. These credentials are
stored in the appliance, so remounting is completed automatically if the appliance is rebooted.
Click Next.
The initial system configuration is now complete and the Create a New Backup Job wizard opens by default.
Use the Create a New Backup Job wizard, as described in Creating a Backup Job, on page 17 to create a
backup job.
Virtual Machines
You can specify collections of virtual machines, such as all virtual machines in a datacenter, or select individual
virtual machines. If an entire resource pool, host, datacenter, or folder is selected, any new virtual machines
in that container are included in subsequent backups. If a virtual machine is selected, any disk added to the
virtual machine is included in the backup. If a virtual machine is moved from the selected container to another
container that is not selected, it is no longer part of the backup.
Destination
You can store backups on network shares, in VMDKs, or on RDMs. If you are storing backups on a network
share and the network share on which you want to store the backup is not available, you can add a network
share. For more information, see Add a Network Share, on page 18.You must format and partition VMDKs
and RDMs to store backups. You can format or partition destinations that are not yet formatted or partitioned.
For more information, see Formatting a Volume, on page 19.
Backup Window
By default, backup jobs run at night on Monday through Friday and at any time on Saturday and Sunday. Data
Recovery attempts to back up each virtual machine in a job once a day during its backup window. If the backup
timeframe for the backup window passes while the backup is in progress, the backup is stopped. The backup
will be restart when the backup window opens. This means that if there are too many virtual machines for
Data Recovery to back them all up during the first specified window, some virtual machines may not be backed
up. Eventually Data Recovery will complete backup of all virtual machines and subsequent backups typically
fit within one backup window. If some machines are not backed up during a window, those machines are
given higher priority during subsequent backup windows. This helps ensure that all virtual machines are
backed up as often as the back windows and resources allow, and prevents the case where some virtual
machines are always backed up and some are never backed up.
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Retention Policy
Data Recovery backups are preserved for a variable period of time. You can choose to keep more or fewer
backups for a longer or shorter period of time. Keeping more backups consumes more disk space, but also
provides more points in time to which you can restore virtual machines. As backups age, some are
automatically deleted to make room for new backups. You can use a predefined retention policy or create a
custom policy. The backup policy is once a day during the backup window.
Ready to Complete
Review the settings for the backup job. This page includes information including:
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Where the backups for the specified virtual machines will be stored.
The number of backups that will be kept for the segments of time. For example, the number of backups
that will be kept for each month.
In the vSphere Client, select Home > Solutions and Applications > VMware Data Recovery.
In the Virtual Machines page, select individual virtual machines or containers that contain virtual
machines to be backed up and click Next.
In the Backup Window page, accept the default times or specify alternate backup windows and click
Next.
In the Retention Policy page, accept the default retention policy or specify an alternate retention policy
and click Next.
In the Ready to Complete page, reviewed the summary information for the backup job and click Next.
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URL - The location of the network share. This must be specified with the IP address. Server names are not
supported.
User name - The user name for an account with the required write privileges for the network share.
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Formatting a Volume
VMware Data Recovery can store backups on network volumes, VMDKs, and RDMs. Networked volumes
might not require formatting, but VMDKs and RDMs must be formatted before they can be used.
Formatting a volume automatically formats and partitions the space. As a result, any data that is stored in this
space is erased. As required, format the volume you intend to use for backup storage.
Source Selection
When choosing a source, select from the tree view of backed up vSphere objects. Select those virtual machines
and virtual disks to be restored. You can use filters to view a subset of all available choices. Much like with
creating back up jobs, you can specify collections of virtual machines, such as all virtual machines in a
datacenter, or select individual virtual machines or vmdk files to restore. If multiple restore points are selected
for a single virtual machine, Data Recovery restores the virtual machine to the most recent restore point
selected.
Destination Selection
This page provides a tree view of the location to which backed up vSphere objects will be restored and how
those objects will be configured when they are restored. If your inventory hierarchy changed since the time of
the backup, inventory object paths that no longer exist are shown as grayed out. You must move virtual
machine files that were backed up from locations that no longer exist to valid destinations before you can
perform the restore operation. You can reconfigure options such as:
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The datastore and virtual disk node to which the files will be restored.
Whether the configuration will be restored. If configuration is not restored, configuring some other options
may not be supported. For example, if the configuration is not restored, it may be possible to configure
whether the virtual machine will be powered on, but not whether the NIC will be connected.
It is possible to move virtual machines and VMDKs to different locations either by dragging and dropping
them, or by selecting new destinations from the popup tree. To see more information about the existing
inventory, click the link at the top of the page.
To clone a virtual machine, rename the virtual machine you are restoring.
If the default credentials provided for backup do not have privileges for restore, you can specify alternate
credentials.
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Ready to Complete
Review the settings for the backup job. This page includes a tree-style representation of what will be restored
and summary information. The tree-style representation includes information such as:
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Object names.
Which datastore will be used as the destination for restored virtual machines or virtual disks.
NOTE If there is insufficient space on the destination datastore to complete the restore, a warning is displayed.
Specify alternate datastores with increased capacity or accept the possibility that restores may not complete as
expected.
In the vSphere Client, select Home > Solutions and Applications > VMware Data Recovery
Right-click a virtual machine that has a backup and select Restore Rehearsal.
The Virtual Machine Restore Wizard appears displaying the ready to complete page.
Click Restore to complete the restore rehearsal or click Back to modify settings.
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In the vSphere Client, select Home > Solutions and Applications > VMware Data Recovery.
Enter the virtual machine name or IP address of the backup appliance and click Connect.
Click the Restore tab and click the Restore link to launch Virtual Machine Restore Wizard.
The Restore Virtual Machines wizard appears.
On the Source Selection page, specify a source from which to restore virtual machines and click Next.
On the Destination Selection page, specify how restored machines will be configured and click Next.
On the Ready to Complete page, review the configuration and click Finish.
Possible Solution
Check that the virtual machine is listed under the Host and
Clusters view of the inventory. Make sure that the IPv4
address of the Data Recovery appliance is correct.
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If you have problems that cannot be resolved using these troubleshooting tips, you can open a service request
with VMware technical support. Before contacting technical support, consider gathering Data Recovery log
files and hidden logs and executing the log gathering script.
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Index
adding
network share 18
storage 13
backup
process 7
scaling 7
backup appliance
configuring 16
installing 12
power on 15
backup job
creating 17, 18
options 17
backup job wizard, using 18
C
client, installing 12
configuring
backup appliance 16
data recovery 15
creating, backup job 17
D
data recovery
configuring 15
prerequisites 11
scaling 11
deduplication
best practices 9
scaling 9
licensing 7
R
restore rehearsal 19, 20
restoring, virtual machines 19, 21
S
scaling
backup 7
data recovery 11
deduplication 9
storage, adding 13
supported storage 7
T
troubleshooting 21
U
using, getting started wizard 16
V
virtual machines, restoring 19, 21
Volume Shadow Copy Service, See also VSS
volumes, formatting 19
VSS
benefits 8
support 8
understanding 8
firewalls 12
G
getting started wizard, using 16
I
installing
backup appliance 12
client 12
data recovery 11
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